Maps show wildfire smoke forecast and air quality alerts due to pollution from Canadian and Minnesota fires & more related news here

dense smoke forest fires burning in Canada and Minnesota This week it devastated large swathes of the Midwest and Northeast of the United States, affecting air quality and exposing millions of people to dangerous levels of air pollution. Conditions across the Northeast were expected to improve Saturday, while smoky air persists in parts of the Midwest.

Hundreds of wildfires are burning in Canada and winds are blowing smoke southeast. Multiple wildfires rage across northern Minnesota.

High levels of fine particles in the air from smoke can be harmful to health, especially for sensitive groups such as children and people with heart or lung diseases.

Air quality today

New York City and Washington, D.C., ranked among the world’s most polluted major cities Saturday morning, as air quality alerts spread from Minnesota to parts of the East Coast. detroit and chicago was high on the list on Friday.

Wildfire smoke is expected to subside across the Northeast on Saturday afternoon as cold front It is advancing through the region, bringing storms with strong winds, large hail, isolated tornadoes and flash flooding.

Minnesota officials issued an air quality alert that extends into the weekend for much of the state, with very heavy smoke in the northeast corner of the state. Air quality levels in northeastern Minnesota have reached dangerous levels, making it unsafe for everyone.

Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin also warned residents of air quality issues. The entire state of Michigan was under a air quality alert on Friday before clearer air moved in.

In Chicago, more smoke was forecast to return Saturday through Sunday.

Washington, D.C., was under Code Purple alert on Saturday, meaning the air was considered “very unhealthy” for everyone. The city urged healthy people to avoid “prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities” and said older adults, children and people with heart or lung conditions should avoid all outdoor physical activity.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection declared a Code Orange air quality alert for Saturday, an improvement from the code purple in effect there on Friday.

Tens of thousands of fans gathered for the world cup final In New Jersey on Sunday better conditions could be seen for the duel between Spain and Argentina. world cup Organizers said Friday they were monitoring the air quality situation.

“There have been discussions about it, and we have someone from the National Weather Service who is at FIFA headquarters there, so we are monitoring it closely,” Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House World Cup task force, said in a briefing.

Air quality alerts They were also issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. When a large plume of smoke from the fires seeped into the Boston area earlier this week, the skies transformed from milky white to an ominous yellowish-brown. CBS News Boston reported.

“You almost felt like you were in a campground with an active fire,” said James Venezia, a West Roxbury resident. he told the station.

The yellowish haze had also descended over Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Wildfire Smoke Maps

The maps below show the wildfire smoke forecast for Saturday and Sunday. Conditions should improve across much of the Northeast, while dangerous levels of smoke persist in parts of the Midwest.

“It’s not good from a health point of view”

People in affected areas should stay indoors as much as possible to avoid smoke as well as extreme heat, said Tyler Hasenstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

“For those two things to coincide is not good from a health point of view,” he said.

Fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke can cause shortness of breath, cough, dizziness or fatigue and aggravate heart and lung disease and other chronic health problems. Experts suggest reducing or eliminating outdoor activities, wearing an N95 mask if you must be outside, and keeping indoor air cleaner by closing windows and turning on an air purifier or air conditioner. Long-term exposure to fine particles from wildfire smoke is one of the leading causes of premature death.

“If we continue to be exposed to this level of air pollution over time, that increases our future risks of developing chronic diseases,” Dr. Alexander Azan, assistant professor of population health and medicine at NYU Langone Health, told CBS News.

A study published earlier this year found that chronic exposure to air pollution caused by wildfires has been linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States.

“If you are someone who works outdoors [or] “If you have an errand that you can’t miss today or tomorrow, the best way to stay safe is to buy an N95 or KN95 grade mask,” Azan said.

Canada wildfire map

Dan Westervelt, an associate professor at Columbia University’s Climate School, said severe drought conditions combined with heat in Canada and the United States have created “a perfect storm for really dry conditions to provide a lot of fuel for these wildfires to burn.” Research shows that rising temperatures due to the burning of coal, oil and gas are making fires more frequent and intense.

This map shows the duration of Canadian fires, most of which are out of control.

TO dramatic video It captured the moment a freight train near Armstrong, Ont., was suddenly surrounded by a wall of burning trees earlier this week. A terrified crew watched everything around them burn and were unable to move until another train passed by.

“This could potentially overwhelm us here, it’s gotten a little scary,” a crew member said in the video.

The Canadian National Railway subsequently suspended rail operations there, but said everyone aboard the train passed safely.

On Friday, the president Trump threatened additional tariffs on Canada by smoke from wildfires, blaming the United States’ northern neighbor for failing to contain the fires.

When asked about the president’s comments, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office referred CBS News to a statement from Canadian Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski that said the country is “working urgently alongside provincial and territorial partners.” He also said Canada has spent billions of dollars preventing wildfires in recent years.

Nikki Nolan contributed to this report.

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